Engine starter



R. P. LANSING ENGINE s'rAa'rnk May 30, '1939.

Original Filed April 8 ,1927

6 Sheets-Sheet l &

May-30,1939.

R; P. LANSING ENGINE STARTER Original Filed Aiml a ,1927

6 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 30, 1939.

R. P. LANSING ENGINE STARTER Original Filed April 8 ,1927

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ENGINE STARTER" Original Filed April 8 1927 6 Sheets-'Shet' '4 mmo z I *5 R. P. LANSING ENGINE STARTER May 30,1939;

- Original Filed April 8 ,1927

6 Sheets-Sheet 5 May 30, 1939 R. P. LANSIN I ENGINE s'mu'm Ori gina l Filed A ril 8 ,1927

s Sheets- 511991". 6

Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics v 2,160,479 ENGINE STARTER Raymond P. Lansing, Montclair, N. J.,

assignor,

by mesne assignments, to Bendix Aviation Cor-- poration, South Ben Delaware d, but, a corporation of Application April 8, 1927, Serial No. 181,975 Renewed January 29, 1936 5 Claims. (or. 123-179) thereof is to provide asimple, eflicient and reliable apparatus capable of either manual or power operation, or both, and characterized by the location and mounting of the yieldable driving mechanism of the starting apparatus substantially directly upon a'rotatable part of the engine to be started, such as the crank shaft there of, whereby such mechanism utilizes a space within the crank case or adjacent the crank shaft which space isnot otherwise used, and whereby the driving apparatus itself which is attached to the crank shaft may be correspondingly shortened, as well as other advantages of structural and functional character which will be made apparent from the description hereinafter given. My invention in its more complete structure is Y also characterized by the employment of such mechanism as the connecting or driving mechanism between the engine and an electric generator, provision being preferably made in such mechanism for a different torque capacity in the direction for the crankingof the engine than in the opposite direction for the driving oi. the gen- 'erator, the first named direction having the higher capacity for torque transmission. Also in the complete and present preferred structure of my apparatus I employ an inertia device which is combined and arranged in novel manner. with certain mechanism of such starting apparatus,

more particularly the reduction gearing employed by such inertia device, which feature and also the feature of the driving'of a generator are not.

necessary or required in the broader aspect of my invention.

In the more complete and preferred embodiment of my invention as herein shown in Fig. 1,

and selected for convenience in making disclosure thereof, my starting apparatus comprises a transmission or drive including a driving member adapted to crank-a member of the engineto' be st'artedsuch as the crank shaft thereof, through the medium of a yielding driving connection which instead of being a part'of' the starter drive or transmission proper ismounted upon such engine member, and hand means and power means such as an electric motor for actuating the starting apparatus. The power means and the manual means may be combined in the same apparatus and usable separately or conjointly if desired,. or the apparatus maybe provided simply with either one 01' these two power means,

all of these arrangements being shown'in the drawings. Also such embodiment includes an inertia means such as the flywheel which in the present'instance forms a part of the reduction adapted to function with thestarting apparatus proper, the particular construction of such starter apparatus may be of any suitable character, 15 but I prefer to employ the practical construction of apparatus .as shown in the drawings and as hereinafter described in detail.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of myv apparatus taken on an irregular section 20 line in order to show the manual means on the same plane, whereas its position in practice is at right angles to the position shown; Fig. 2 is an elevation on a smaller'scale illustrating the generator and associated parts; Figs. 3 and 4 are 25 cross-sections on' the corresponding section lines of Fig. 1 looking in the directions of the arrow; Figs. 5, and Gdetail views; Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but-omitting the electric generator and thedriving connection therefor; Fig. 8 is a 30 view similar to Figs. 1 and 7 but illustrating powin Fig. 10.

.Describing the particular embodiment of my 40 invention as herein shown in Figs. 1 to 6, and first referring to the starter drive proper, the samev is located within a main casing l which is suitably supported as by being detachably con- I nected suitable manner as by means of the bolts 3. This casing is-provided with an end plate 4 secured with the crank case 2of the engine in thereto by'screws 5 and containing bearings for rotating parts as hereinafter described, and also supporting an extension casing 6 secured .to the plate 4 by the screws 1 and forming a bearing and enclosure for parts of the manual means.

The driving member proper of the starter app'aratus comprises a rotatable and longitudinally movable shaft 8 and also a clutch member 9 peripheral flange 2i and a marginal flange designated by the reference character I3 in Fig. l,-

but not so designated in Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10, although therein shown as applied to thesame purpose. This clutch is in the form of a dog clutch with laws H on its outer face.

In the present instance the shaft 8 has screw thread action with respect to its cooperating.

parts of the transmission and to this end such shaft is a screw shaft provided with external threads |5 which engage corresponding screw threads IS in the interior of a sleeve acting as a nut therefor which nut is capable of rotary movement but incapable of longitudinal movement. This sleeve is mounted to rotate within anti-friction bearings 18 mounted in the central bore of the plate 4 and also within a bushing IS. The sleeve I1 is drivingly connected at its outer end with a bevel gear 2|! which is adapted to be driven by suitable manually operated means which here comprises a corresponding bevel gear 2| secured to a cranking shaft 22 bearing in the casing 6 by means of the bearings 23 and 24 and extending laterally oi the apparatus whereby any suitable hand crank may be applied by the operator to engage the crank pins 25 andthereby rotate the cranking shaft 22 and eventually the driving member 8 and its clutch member 9.

This embodiment is provided with an inertia device and also with reduction means, the sleeve component part thereof l1 :here constituting a for compactness and solidity. As shown this sleeve is provided towards its outer end with? provided internally with teeth to form a rotatable internal gear which is a part of the reduction gearing of the apparatus. A stationary internal gear 2! is secured within thecasing I by screws 2!, the same being of approximately the samediameter as the gear 21 but spaced apart therefrom. This reduction gearing is of the planetary being provided .with a. series of planetary pinions is mounted on studs "which in turn are mounted in a cage formed by the two parallel plates 32 which are mounted on These pinions have two sets-of peripheral gear teeth 34 and ii which teeth are of different numbers, the left-hand set of teeth 35 having 'one -more tooth thanv the set 34 for the proper re- ."spacersllbearing duction there being a corresponding difference in the number of the teeth of the two internal gears. --The plates 32 are held in proper spaced relation by bolts and spacers 31, such b lt and being thereby secured thereto. web is positioned centrally with respect tothe internal gears 21 and 28 andalso concentrically of the reduction gearing, as well as the driving menaber. This flywheel is thus locked by rn'eansof theon opposite sides of the web as shown in Fig. friction bearings described I also provide another bearing a which is interposed between the central opening of the casing bearings 3i.v

throilflh the web of an inertia de-' vice herein shown in the form of a flywheel 38 1. In addition to the anti- 'i and the ll.-

arcane Next describing the yielding driving mechanism which is mounted upon the engine member, such engine member in the present instance is the crank shaft 40 which has a reduced central extension 4| on which such mechanism is mounted and to which it is operatively connected. This mechanism as herein shown comprises a rotatclamping ring 46 screwing on the outer end of the barrel. This plate constitutes a clutch member-and the same is provided on its outer face with clutch jaws 4f| complementary to and adapted to be engaged. by the clutch jaws M of the starter apparatus proper.

The yielding driving mechanism further comprises a screw sleeve 48which is mounted on the shaft 4| for rotary movement therewith and a slight longitudinal movement thereof as by being splined thereto. This sleeve is externally screw threaded to cooperate with a nut 49. At its outer side this nut cooperates with a friction clutch of constant torque transmitting capacity. In the present instance this clutch comprises two sets of friction plates 50 and 5| which are operatively connected respectively to the interior of the barrel 42 and to aniextension or series of tongues 52 on the nut as by being splined thereto.

This clutch is of the present type and is always subjected to an engaging pressure the pressure on the plates being obtained through the spiral spring fl bearing against the ring 54 and consequently against the plates 50 and 5| and also against the abutment plate 55 which is secured to the outer end of the shaft or stud 4|.

Another friction clutch is interposed between. the nut and the barrel the same comprising two sets of plates 56 and 51 which are splined respectively to the interior of the barrel and to an extension or a series of tongues 58 on the left hand side 'of the nut, Fig. 1. These friction plates bear at ,pne end against one face of the nut and at the other end against a spacing ring 59 interposed between such clutch and the inner end of the barrel. A rather heavycompression apparatus is removed, and the same is likewise assembled under the same condition.

Describing a cycle of operation and beginning the hand crank and rotates the cranking shaft 22 whereupon the, sleeve il, will 'be rotated through the bevel gears 2| and 2... Likewise the.

a corresponding bevel with the parts in their, normal position shown" in Fig. 1,-and describing 'of course the completeapparatus as therein shown; the operator applies the operator will thrust the rod ll inwardly, that is towards the left in Fig. 1 through operating connections not shown except for the shifting fork 65, whereupon the driving member will be shifted to the left inasmuch as the threads I! and I! have a long lead which action is assisted by the rotation of the sleeve IT. The clutch jaws I 4 which are now being rotated by the energy stored up in the flywheel will be brought intoengagement with the jaws 41 of the yielding driving mechanism. Consequently the barrel 42- will be rotated. and also'the nut 49 through the medium of both of the friction v clutches which now act conjointly in transmitting the considerable torque of the starting apparatus. The direction of" the threads of the nut 49 and sleeve 48 are such that a slight rotation of the nut will cause such sleeve to move to. the

right and away from the spacing sleeve 66 whereupon the pressure of the ,spring 80 is caused to bear uponthe nut and the friction plates 56 and 51. Consequently, both of the friction clutches are now in action and torque is transmitted through bothof them and through the nut and thence to the sleeve 48 and shaft 4| and consequently to the engine which is thereby cranked. When the engine has started on its own power and thereby becomes the driver instead of the driven member, the excess speed of rotation imparted to the starter apparatus will cause the driving member thereof to be automatically disconnected from the yielding mechanism of the engine through the screw thread action of'the shaft 8 and sleeve I I whereupon the parts will resume their normal position shown inFig. 1.

Assuming that the yielding driving mechanism is utilized to drive an electric generator, when the barrel 42 is rotated, as by the engine when in operation, such barrel will be rotated by the engine and the torque thereof will be transmitted through the bevel gears 6i and 62 to the generator for the purpose of generating current for any desired purpose, as for instance charging any batteries that may be carried on the airplane or for furnishing ignition and lights either direct thereto or indirectly through the battery.-

Thus the battery (not shown) may be in multiple relationship, electrically, with the generator 84, whereby the generator will assist the battery by supplementing, or boosting the current supplied to the ignition and lighting units by the battery, and thereby furnish ignition and lights either direct. thereto or through the battery. In-

- asmuch as the engine acceleration is considerable and sudden and the weight of the armature is considerable, it is necessary to provide means for limiting the amount of torque transmitted from the engine to the generator. To this end, I make provision for disabling the larger friction clutch composed-of the plates 56 and 51 and utilizing merely the lower value clutch composed of the plates and .52 so that when the generator is driven the torque is transmitted merely through the low value clutch. When the engine becomes the driver the rotation of the shaft 4| 'causes a rotation of the sleeve48 and as the nut 49 remains in substantially the same plane longitudinally the screwaction between these parts will move the sleeve 48 slightly to the left and towards the ring 66 so'that thepressure of'the heavy spring flLwill be relieved from the larger anathema and'transferred to the relatively rigid abutment 66 andthe torque will then be transmitted from the shaft 4| through the sleeve 48 and nut 49, lower capacity clutch and thence mounted upon and drlvingly connected to the en-' gine member or crank shaft, and also omitting the generator drive feature. The starter apparatus and the manual means are .the same and need not'be described but corresponding reference numerals are applied.

Referring to the modified driving mechanism I shown in Fig. 7, the same comprises a central shaft 67 which is detachably connected to the central bore 68 of the crank shaft 40 as by means of the splines 69. This shaft is secured to the crank shaft by the central screw 10; A barrel H is drivingly connected with the shaft 61 by a yielding driving connection comprising the two sets of friction disks or plates 12 and 13 operatively connected or splined respectively to the interior of the barrel and the exterior of the'shaft 81. These friction plates are heldin contact with a yielding pressure by means of the series of coiled springs 14 and such pressure is adjusted or predetermined by means of the'nut l5 screwing .into the inner end of the barrel. These springs bear against a ring 16 interposed between the inner ends thereof and the nut 15, and at the other end against a ring' 11 which in turn bears against a washer 18 and thence against a flange 19 of the shaft 61. clutch plates hear at opposite ends against rings 8| and 82. The ring BI is interposed between the right hand end of the friction clutch and the inner end of the end flange 83 of the barrel. This flange is provided with clutch jaws 84 complementary to the jaws M of the starter apparatus and cooperating in the same manneras the clutch jaws l4 and 41 of the structure of Fig. l.

The operation of the starter apparatus of Fig.-

device is transmitted to the clutch jaws I4 and 84, whereupon the barrel 14 will be rotated. The

By preference the torque is transmitted from the barrel through the friction clutch and thence to the shaft 61 and consequently to the crankshaft of the engine. When the engine starts on its own power the starter apparatus is disconnected in the manner already explained.

' In Fig. 8 I have shown another embodiment of my invention similar to that of Fig. 7 with the exception that power means such as an electric motor 85 is substituted for the manual means and a different construction and arrangement of -a hollow armature shaft 86 through which the elongated manually operating rod ll passes and projectsbeyond the outer end thereof whereby inertia device is provided. In other respects the H the same may be operated by. the hand of the operator or through any suitable linkage or con-.

nections, not shown. The'project'ing endof this armature shaft is.drivingly connected by means of splines to the hub 81 of the inertia device or flywheel 88. This flywheel constitutes one of the side membersof the cage of the planetary gearing, taking the place of one. of the plates 32 of the structure of Fig.1. The planetary pinions and the spacing means are the same as herein- Y stationary internal gear 89 is provided with a ably connected with the main casing l and a supplementalcasing marginal flange 88 which is clamped between the 9| by means oi. the bolts 82, the motor 85 being detachcasing 8| by means of the screws 98. This casing 8| also constitutes an end plate or closure for the motor and a bearing for the armature shaft.

The other or rotatable internal gear 88 is formed as a shell extension portion of the screw sleeve 85 which is similar to the sleeve I! of Fig. 1 butv differently shaped and positioned. This sleeve bears in a bushing 86 in the central opening of the main casing I. I

Describing a cycle of operation the electric motor is energized through electrical connections and a switch (not shown) and the flywheel 88 is thereupon rapidly rotated. When the acceleration of this flywheel has reached a predetermined point the current to the motor may or may not be interrupted and-the operator will then force the rod ll inwardly to connect the clutch jaws II and 88 in the manner and with the result above explained, whereupon. the energy stored in the flywheel will be transmitted to the engine for cranking the same, after which the nected when the engine starts on its own' power.

In Fig. 9 I have shown a construction similar to that of Fig. 8 except that the flywheel 88 is dispensed with and no provision made for inertia action wherefore the electric motor will drive the 3 driving member and the yielding driving mechanism through the reduction gearing and the jointly. This structure in all of its parts with the exception of the power means and manual .means is the same as that of Fig. 8, and hence no further description of such common parts is n, but corresponding reference numerals are applied thereto. 1

In the structure of Fig. has its armature shaft-88 made hollow and connected with the hubofthe flywheel 88 as in P18.

8, butinterposed between the manually operated rcdliandsucharmatureshafttherelsprovided an elongated sleeve 91 to whose right hand end 7 the bevelplnion-zl of the manual means is drlvingly connected. 'Iheinner'or 'lefthand end of thin-sleeve has interlocking. driving-connection at 88 with a elrcularplate 88 which in turn is interlocked at. I88 with sleeve 88. The described drivingare formed as.

interlocks fcr'the purpose and disasseinblyoftheparts. whenthe motoris .operatedas the actuating means the operation,

as explain'edin eonnectionwith Fig. 8. "when the manual means'i's operated the torque is transmi ted through the ii. and u through sleeve 81 and thence'tothe sleeve 88 'andthrcughthereductiongearingtotheflywheel 88 after-whlchthemode ofoperationis thesame jnnmerous "flhestructnreaembodvingmy'inventionpossess practical and functional advantages forth in the whiehmnbestatedthcfoilowing:

starter apparatus will be automatically disconstanfly connected lathe electric motor 88 said member in member and said member for engaging "continually connected engine to bestarted, a second normally disenpreamble hereof.

flied. clutch By the locating and mounting Of-th yielding driving mechanism upon the engine member or crank shaft it is possible to make the starter therefrom and placed in a'space not otherwise utilized. Also, this enables the diameter of the pilot mounting of the apparatus to be made smaller and enables the driving member support bearings and the openings in the supplemental casing to be made of smaller diameter which is' of advantagein that standard sizes of bearings-can be used. Furthermore, by my construction and arrangement the clutch in the yielding driving mechanism and asociated parts are not limited as to radial dimensions as when forming a part of the starter apparatus proper. In addition my construction provides compactness and solidity of parts not only by reason of the structure and arrangement above described, but also by connecting the screw sleeve directly to the reduction gearing and the bevel gear and in fact in making thesame a part of such gearing.

I claim:

1. In an engine starting apparatus, the combination, with a .rotatable member of the engine to be started, of yielding driven means conwith said engine-member, a central driving member adapted to engage said driven means and crank the engine member, and actuating means therefor including reduction gearing comprising a stationary internal gear, a parallel rotatable internal gear havinga hub which is operatively connected with the 2. An improved crankshaft drive comprising a member extending from the crankshaft and ,drivably connected thereto to rotate in unison therewith, a friction disc clutch mechanism engageable with said member near the end remote from said crankshaft, a driving member normally out 'of,b'ut movable into driving relation to said clutch mechanism, resilient means mounted ada position intermediate and the crankshaft end the latter operative as said clutch mechanism of said member to render 'a driving connection between said driving member and'said crankshaft. a

3. An engine starting apparatus comprising a planetary gearing including a combined internally toothed and internally threaded member, a threaded driving member cooperating with said internally threaded member,. a yielding clutch continually connected with a member of the engine to be started, 7 engaged clutch interposed between said driving first named clutch, and means responsive toaxial movement of said driving said second named clutch for ton of.starting torque from said planetary gearing'to said engine member.

4. An starting apparatus comprising an internally threaded sleeve and reduction gearing of which ,such sleeve forms a rigidly driven p ka drivin 'memb r said threaded sleeve and reduction gearing, a friction clutch with a member of the interpose between said driving a second normally dis-' internally threaded hub 'and reduction gearing,- A

member and said friction clutch, and means responsive to axial movement of said driving memher for engaging said second named clutch for transmission of starting torque from said threaded sleeve and reduction gearing to said engine member.

5. An engine starting apparatus comprising reduction gearingincluding a stationary internally toothed gear; and a rotatable-internally toothed gear, the latter having an-internally threaded hub, a driving member engaging said a yielding clutch continually connected with a member of the engine to be started, a second normally disengaged clutch interposedbetween said driving member and said first named clutch, and means responsive to axial movement oi! said driving member for engaging said second named clutch for transmission of starting torque from' said threaded-hub and reduction gearing to said engine'member. RAYMOND P. LANSING. 

